The Ball
by KitKat7
Summary: I finally finished it!!! Jareth now knows who the singer is. But what about Lady Naomee and Lord Anthony? Please review if you read. I love hearing back.
1. Pilgrim

I haven't stopped writing on my other story, this one just popped into my head and I wanted to write it down. Please tell me what you think.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own anything from the Labyrinth. King William, Queen Elisebeth, King Fredrick, and Queen Merriam do belong to me though. Also, the song towards the end is called Pilgrim and it's by Enya. I'm just borrowing it.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"So I see that you finally made it, Jareth," King William announced in greeting to the new arrival in his throne room.  
  
"Like I had any choice in the matter, father. Everyone knows that when you are summoned by the king of all the Underground, you have to go. Even if they're closely related," he replied with as much curtesy he could muster seeing as he never cared for being in his father's kingdom. This time was even worse, if that was at all possible.  
  
This was not just a visit to his father's castle to learn about all of the things that he would one day need to know. No, this visit was quite different. Now he was here to find out about his future bride. He hated the thought of it. There was only one girl that he wanted to marry. If he couldn't have her, then, he had decided soon after she left his kingdom with her brother, he didn't want anyone. He had no desire to know who his parents had picked out for him.  
  
"You don't have to be so cynical. We just want what is best. You are going to inherit my throne, and it would be nice if you had an heir of your own that you can pass the Goblin Kingdom off to once you come here," his mother, Elisebeth, said trying to put her son's mind more at ease.  
  
It didn't work too well.  
  
"We gave you plenty of time to find a wife of your own, but we believe that that time has gone. We can't, and don't really want to, stay here forever," William said irritably. He quickly recomposed himself as he went on with his little speech. "The girl is the daughter of my good friends, King Fredrick and Queen Merriam. She is very intelligent and quite pretty. I believe that she will make you a wonderful wife. You will meet her at the masked ball to be held tomorrow night and not before."  
  
"Why am I not aloud to meet my future…bride… until the ball? Are you afraid that I will do something to persuade her not to marry me?"  
  
"You can persuade her all you want, but the two of you will get married no matter what. I've waited too long to see you make that commitment, and I'm not waiting any longer. But to answer your first question… The princess herself requested that you not see her until that time. I saw nothing wrong with the request, so I gave her my word."  
  
Jareth was furious. He quickly left the throne room before he created a scene and headed towards the chambers that he would be using while he stayed there. He didn't want to marry King Fredrick's daughter, no matter how smart or how pretty she was said to be. No one could compare to his Sarah.  
  
He could still remember how she looked during every part of her visit through his labyrinth. She never gave up, no matter what obstacle he put in her path. The ballroom was his favorite part. It was there that he could see that she held some feelings for him other than hatred. She was just too young to realize what she felt.  
  
He could still remember the party that she had with his subjects after her return. She had said that she needed all of them, but he did not go. He watched her from outside her bedroom window. He left that night with hopes that she would one day call for him so he could show her that he wasn't really a villain. He never got that chance.  
  
He was still laying on his bed thinking about the past and how much he missed the only woman he would ever love, when he heard someone singing in the courtyard outside his window. He couldn't place the voice, though he had to admit that whoever it was was very talented. He went over to the window to see if he could find out who was making such lovely music.  
  
Jareth look out over the balcony, but he couldn't see the singer. He could now hear what she was singing, and he decided to stay and listen to her. The words just seemed to float up to him.  
  
  
  
Pilgrim, how you journey  
on the road you chose  
to find out why the winds die  
and where the stories go.  
All days come from one day  
that much you must know,  
you cannot change what's over  
but only where you go.  
  
One way leads to diamonds,  
one way leads to gold,  
another leads you only  
to everything you're told.  
In your heart you wonder  
which of these is true;  
the road that leads to nowhere,  
the road that leads to you.  
  
Will you find the answer  
in all you say and do?  
Will you find the answer  
in you?  
  
Each heart is a pilgrim,  
each one wants to know  
the reason why the winds die  
and where the stories go.  
Pilgrim, in your journey  
you may travel far,  
for pilgrim it's a long way  
to find out who you are…  
  
Pilgrim, it's a long way  
to find out who you are…  
  
Pilgrim, it's a long way  
to find out who you are…  
  
  
  
'Who was singing that?' Jareth thought to himself when the mysterious singer finished her song. 'I guess that I'll just have to go and find out.' With that, he left the room in search of the one who was singing below his balcony.  
  
TBC… 


	2. Giving up?

Sorry that it's been so long since I've written anything on my stories. I'm back at school now where it's easier to find time to write and post it afterwards. This story should be done in just a couple more chapters. I know that this one is rather short, but I wanted to wait for next chapter to start the ball. Let me know what you think of this, though.  
  
Disclaimer: Same as in the first chapter…  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Jareth made his way through his parents' castle in no time. He didn't want to use his magic to just appear in the courtyard below his balcony for fear that the singer would already have left. By traversing the castle's corridors, he at least had a chance of meeting up with the person.  
  
He saw no one on his way outside. This just gave him hope that he would run into the person once he got outside. That, however, was not to happen.  
  
The courtyard was deserted when Jareth arrived. No matter how hard he looked about him, he just couldn't find anyone that could have been singing beneath his balcony. Discouraged, he used his magic to quickly transport him back to his chambers. He never saw the two women that appeared in the doorway behind him soon before he left.  
  
~*~~~*~~~*~  
  
"Is what we're asking really all that bad?" asked Queen Elisebeth as she approached her son who was once again standing in the doorway to his balcony.  
  
"Why even go there? I know that I won't be able to change your minds, at least not his, so what is the point?"  
  
It was obvious to Elisebeth that her son was depressed and deeply hurt. He never would have given up so easily otherwise. "Will you at least tell me what you were doing in the courtyard earlier? You seemed so determined to get there, and then you left so quickly."  
  
"I had heard someone singing below my balcony. I wanted to see who it was."  
  
"Wanted to see who who was?"  
  
Both Jareth and his mother turned to see King William standing in the doorway.  
  
"Jareth just heard someone singing and was curious as to who it was," Queen Elisebeth replied.  
  
"I see. I'm sure that you'll figure it out eventually. Now I must take Elisebeth away. King Fredrick and Queen Merriam have just arrived and are wishing to speak with us. We shall see you later, Jareth."  
  
Jareth just gave a nod of his head to acknowledge that he'd heard his father. With that his parents departed and left Jareth alone to his thoughts. 


	3. Only Time

Alright, I'm done with another chapter and it's even longer than usual! (pats self on back) Let me know what you think.  
  
Disclaimer: I still don't own Labyrinth, and the song 'Only Time' belongs to Enya. I'm only borrowing it like I did with the one in the first chapter.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
"It's so nice to see you both again!" Elisebeth said as she embraced her friends in turn. "I take it that your daughter is in her room now. I know how adamant she was on not being seen before the ball tomorrow night."  
  
"Yes, she's there now. And thank you so much for letting her bring a friend with her. She was so happy when she learned that the girl could come," Merriam replied.  
  
The four continued to talk until it was late into the night. They retired to their rooms both excited and nervous at how things would play out the following evening. Neither couple hoping for too much, knowing how stubborn their child could be.  
  
~*~~~*~~~*~  
  
The time of the ball was getting increasingly nearer, and Jareth had yet to get the voice that he'd heard the day before below his balcony out of his mind. He desperately wanted to know who it was that had been singing, but no one that he encountered since first hearing her voice could give him any clue as to who it might have been.  
  
Dressed in the same outfit that he wore in Sarah's dream ball, he looked once again in the mirror before he left his room and made his way to the ballroom. 'At least this way I can still have a part of her with me even if I can't have her in my arms for real,' he had thought. Now he was starting to doubt his choice, but it was too late to go back and change seeing as everyone was probably already waiting for him.  
  
~*~~~*~~~*~  
  
All of the guests had finally arrived and were now dancing and chatting with each other as they waited for the Princess to come.  
  
Jareth did his best to hide his nervousness from everyone. He wanted them to think that he was indifferent to the idea. It worked rather well, for only his parents could tell that he was anxious to meet his future wife.  
  
Jareth was in the middle of a conversation with an old friend of his when he heard the announcement.  
  
"Introducing the Princess of the Fairy Kingdom and her friend, Lady Naomee from Aboveground," was heard above the commotion in the room. Everyone immediately quieted down and turned to see the two girls that just entered.  
  
One of the girls was wearing a red dress that fell down to her feet. The top was made from a deep red fabric. It had red and gold ribbons at the edge of each shoulder to help hold it up and the same deep red fabric around the upper part of her arms. The skirt was made from a shiny red material and had two sheer overlays that overlapped in the center that flowed out away from her feet. There was a gold ribbon tied around her waist, with the loose ends dangling in the front. She wore a gold chain with a pear shaped ruby around her neck and matching earrings. Her hair was dark with red highlights to match her dress.  
  
The other girl also had on a dress that fell to her feet and flowed out towards the bottom. Hers, though, was a somewhat pale yellow. There was gold ribbon across the top and matching ribbon crisscrossing in the front a little below her neck. A yellow and gold rope started in the front of the dress and made its way to the back where its loose ends dangled with the ends of the gold ribbon from around her waist. Over her skirt was a sheer gold overlay. Her jewelry consisted of a pair of gold earrings and a gold bracelet. Her hair was also dark, but she had blonde highlights in it to match her dress.  
  
Everyone agreed that they were both very lovely girls. They carried themselves wonderfully as they walked over to King William, his wife Queen Elisebeth, King Fredrick, and his wife Queen Merriam. No one could tell which one was the princess.  
  
The silence slowly ebbed away when the girls reached the bottom of the stairs and started talking with the two couples. After a little while, Queen Elisebeth indicated her son through the crowd who was still talking with his friend.  
  
The girl in yellow curtsied to show her respect to the Kings and Queens of the two kingdoms, and made her way towards Jareth and his friend. Everyone who had noticed this, immediately figured that she was the princess. Jareth and his friend included.  
  
"Good evening My Lord," she said sweetly to Jareth.  
  
"Good evening My Lady," Jareth responded. "May I introduce you to my long time friend, Lord Anthony."  
  
"Pleasure to meet you My Lord."  
  
"The pleasure is all mine My Lady," he replied as casually as he could. He couldn't stop looking at the breathtaking beauty in front of him. 'If only she wasn't betrothed to Jareth,' he thought to himself.  
  
"My mistake. Your right," she said with a sly grin on her face.   
  
Both men were intrigued by her, but their attention was diverted to the front as they heard someone start to sing.   
  
Who can say  
where the road goes  
where the day flows  
-only time  
And who can say  
if your love grows  
as your heart chose  
-only time  
  
The first thought that entered Jareth's mind, was that it was the same voice as the person who sang outside his room. When he saw who it was, he was surprised to find that it was the girl in red, who could only be Lady Naomee.  
  
"Oh. I see her highness has chosen one of her favorite songs from Aboveground," the girl, whom everyone thought was the Princess, said.  
  
'What?!' thought Anthony. 'So this lovely girl next to me is actually Lady Naomee? Well, things are going rather well for me.'  
  
Jareth was too enthralled with the girl on stage to even think about what the girl near him had said.  
  
Who can say  
why your heart sighs  
as you love flies  
-only time  
And who can say  
why your heart cries  
as your love lies  
-only time  
  
Who can say  
when the roads meet  
that love might be  
in your heart  
And who can say  
when the day sleeps  
if the night keeps  
all your heart  
  
Night keeps all your heart  
  
Who can say  
if your love grows  
as your heart chose  
-only time  
And who can say  
where the road goes  
where the day flows  
-only time  
  
Who knows - only time  
Who knows - only time  
  
By the end of the song, the girl singing had taken off her mask.  
  
Jareth was in shock when he saw who it was. All he could do was breath one word, "Sarah."  
  
TBC…  
  
Now tell me, who actually didn't see that coming? 


	4. Kidnapped

Thanks to all of you who reviewed my story. This will be the last chapter in this story, but I will continue with my others as soon as I get time away from my schoolwork and what not. I also have another one that I'm thinking about writing as well. I'll let you get to the story now. You should know what I own and don't own by now.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Everyone around him was applauding the princess, but Jareth himself found that he couldn't move. At first he was simply surprised to see Sarah standing in front of everyone singing. That's when it sank in that she was the princess that he was to marry and he became both speechless and immobile.  
  
Sarah gracefully thanked the crowd, curtsied to both Jareth's parents and her own, and made her way over to where her friend was standing. "Good evening My Lords. I hope that my friend has been behaving herself and hasn't bothered you too much. She has a gift for doing that you see," Sarah said with a smirk as she approached the trio.  
  
"Good evening to you as well Princess. I can assure you that Lady Naomee has been wonderful company, unlike my friend over here," Lord Anthony replied with a smirk on his face as well.  
  
The three then turned to see Jareth's reaction, and found that he had yet to move a muscle.  
  
"You can shut your mouth now, Jareth. I can't imagine how you couldn't be embarrassed by now with all the flies you've caught just because you've seen your old adversary again. Of course, I admit that I like knowing that I still hold power over you," Sarah couldn't help but bait him.  
  
Anthony and Naomee, who were standing off to the side and taking in the whole scene, could barely control their laughter. They decided to get away before they lost control altogether, and ended up on the dance floor dancing to a slow song with all of the other couples. Oblivious to everything other than the heavenly creature in their arms.  
  
~*~~~*~~~*~  
  
Jareth finally snapped out of his trance soon after the two had left. Sarah couldn't help but smile at the state he was in.  
  
Once he found his voice, he couldn't seem to stop all of the questions that he had from coming out. "Is it really you? Why didn't you tell me that you were a fairy princess? Why didn't you want me to see you beforehand? I…"  
  
Sarah silenced him by putting her hand over his mouth. "Jareth stop. One at a time, alright?"  
  
He nodded his consent and they headed towards a balcony where they could have a bit more privacy.  
  
"First of all, yes it is me."  
  
"Wh…"  
  
"Shh… Let me explain what I know. I didn't tell you when we first met, because I didn't know at that time. Since then I've learned that I was kidnapped when I was young and was sent Aboveground. You now that there's no magic up there, at least no where near what it's like here, and since I was so young my powers weren't very strong yet. That's why no one down here could find me for a long time. I was found, however, by an Aboveground couple who decided to adopt me and raise me as their own child. I was too young to remember that this was my true home, so I lived and grew up as a mortal. I knew in my heart however that I didn't belong there.  
  
"I loved my parents very much and was deeply heartbroken when my mother died in a car crash. My father deciding to remarry without even consulting me just made things worse for me. I didn't even think that it was possible for me to feel any worse than I did at that time. I was proven wrong soon after my encounter with you. That was when I learned that I had been adopted. I felt truly abandoned then. A lost soul with no where to go."  
  
"Oh Sarah, you always had a home in the Labyrinth. You could have come whenever you wished to."  
  
"I didn't know that then. I thought that you must hate me for what I did," Sarah said ashamedly and dropped her head so she didn't have to look at Jareth.  
  
Jareth, however, lifted up her chin so he could look into her eyes as he spoke. "I never hated you Sarah. I admit that I was upset when you left, but I could never hate you. You must understand that."  
  
"I do now."  
  
At her soft reply Jareth leaned in and kissed her for the first time. It was a soft and gentle kiss that ended far too quickly for Jareth, but he only wanted to prove to Sarah how much he didn't hate her. He would save everything else that he wanted to do for another time when they could be more alone.  
  
Sarah was surprised, to say the least, when he kissed her. She hadn't expected that, but she must admit that she did like it.  
  
It took awhile, but Sarah was finally able to continue her story without thinking completely about Jareth's lips on hers. "I feel bad about wishing Toby away. He didn't deserve the way I treated him. In a way though, I'm glad that I wished him away. It was cause I traveled through your Labyrinth that my people were able to find me. Just two days after I found out that I was adopted, they came for me. I was shocked, to say the least, but I gladly went along with the fairies sent to get me. I know that I belong down here, and I'm glad that I finally found who I truly am. Now about why I didn't want you to know about me beforehand… It's quite simple really. I wanted to be able to see your reaction when you found who I was. You're not upset, are you?" Sarah questioned him nervously.  
  
Jareth quickly gathered her into his arms. "Of course I'm not upset! I only agreed to marry the fairy princess because it was duty to do so. It's you that I've wanted to marry since I first met you!" With this said, Jareth knelt on one knee before his beloved. "I know that we are already betrothed, but I want to do this right. Sarah, you alone hold my heart and the key to my happiness. Please say that you'll be my Queen… my wife."  
  
Sarah dropped down in front of him with tears in her eyes. "Of course I'll marry you!" she replied as she fell into his embrace.  
  
After a few moments Jareth stood up and pulled Sarah with him. "Come. Let's go dance."  
  
They went back into the ballroom and started dancing near their friends. After a while, Jareth begin to wonder about something. "Sarah, how does your friend Naomee fit into all of this?"  
  
"She was the only real friend I had Aboveground. I could tell her anything, and she loved fantasy as much as I did. After I came back from your Labyrinth I told her everything. She actually believed me and was thrilled to learn that there was a place such as this where magic is real and not thought of badly. She was also there for me when I found out about being adopted. She knows what it's like to not know your parents. You see, hers died when she was young and she hasn't had a permanent home ever since. She was excited to learn that she could come with me tonight. She's been here a couple of times before to help me cope with all the changes my life was going through."  
  
"I must remember to thank her for being there for you when I couldn't. I also hope that she likes it here. It looks as though Anthony has taken a great liking to her," Jareth replied.  
  
"She likes him as well. I can see it in the way she looks at him. I'm sure she would love to stay here if it comes to that," Sarah said with a smile on her face before they went back to dancing quietly.  
  
~*~~~*~~~*~  
  
"I don't believe that our son will be upset with us anymore. At least not over this," King William said to his wife. They had been watching the two couples the entire time.  
  
"I'm just glad that he's happy now. And it looks as though there's going to be another wedding soon as well," Queen Elisebeth replied as she looked from her son and his love to their friends.  
  
They just smiled at each other as they walked out onto the dance floor. They were very happy for the two couples.  
  
The End 


End file.
